18% of the UK read ebooks

Over in the UK and Ireland it's World Book Day today, and several survey companies have released recent polling dat about how people read.

Mintel released a report today that showed even though 18% read ebooks, nearly half of the UK (49%) still prefers paper books over digital. The problem with that number, though, is that it's not clear how many respondents actually buy books on a regular basis. That 49% might be irrelevant so far as the book market is concerned.

E-readers have made significant market penetration in the UK with 8% of adult readers reporting that they owned one. Also, about 5% of adult readers own a tablet.

Mintel’s research also revealed that consumers expected to pay less for ebooks than their printed equivalent, with nearly half (48%) of consumers saying they expect to pay less and just one in five (19%) saying they expect to pay the same. Some 7% of Brits say they expect to pay less then £3, with 28% thinking it should be between £3-£5.99. If these numbers are true, Agency Pricing isn't going to have much success in the UK.

Bed is the the most popular place for Brits to read , with the majority of all book readers (87%) saying they do so on a regular basis. The next most popular place is on trips (84%), in the living room (78%) and while commuting (64%). Meanwhile, over half (58%) say they regularly read in the garden, 42% while they are waiting to meet someone and 41% when outdoors. Meanwhile the toilet (37%) and the bath (33%) make up the remaining regular reading places.

I think the number of people who read on the toilet is higher, but only few will admit to it.